A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

Well D-to-the-U-to-the-H and knock me down with a hummingbird pinfeather.

…The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

And that is where this story will remain; stranded in Centrist Limbo.

The cycle never, ever changes.

Republicans lie.

People die.

Republicans get caught.

They say, “No we di’int!”

Dems says “Yes you did!”

“No we di’int!”

“Yes you did!”

“No we di’int!”

“Yes you did!”

And the Corporate Press – not wanting to be seen as taking sides in a way that would jeopardize their access to cocktail weenies and Appletinis -- wanders away to cover John Edward’s hair and Hillary's décolletage.

…The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Of course they lied to us. Of course they did. The ugly fact that this was an Administration run by and for a cabal of traitors and fascists was rather blindingly self-evident years ago.

That’s not the story.

The story is that so many Americans went to the polls in 2004 and voted to re-anoint the Boy King and his Morally Detached Retinue anyway.

The story – the real story – is that so many of our fellow citizens desperately want an end to the great democratic experiment called America. The real story is that Freedom is high maintenance, and a frighteningly large numbers of Americans are simply weary of the burdens and contradictions, the complexities, and the attentiveness Lady Liberty requires..

Instead, they want something easy.

Something drive-thru.

To make them feel brave and patriotic, they want to be provided with the occasional, bellicose, ouchless, tax-free, HDTV-Dolby-Surround-Sound-roaring hate-fuck of some small, brown and relatively helpless nation.

Then want to roll over and pass out under a snuggly soft, White, Christian, totalitarian Daddy-State blanket and never, ever wake up again.

The real story is how these squealing hordes of Pig People have ruined our nation.

And the other real story is how the Corporate Press – entirely dependent on the patronage of these same squealing hordes for their revenue – cower behind their bizzaro definition of “objectivity” and categorically refuse to cover the Pig People in those terms.

…

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

Sure, occasionally a Don Imus is temporarily financially inconvenienced for upchucking blatantly stupid, racist shit on the air, but how many journalists committed honorable seppuku for being smirkingly complicit in the Bush Regime’s scheme to march this country into the abyss?

For acting as the wheel-man for Cheney’s smash and grab of the United States Constitution?

For being Commander Codpiece’s drooling little fluffers as he screwed this nation into the ground?

How many of the junta’s journalistic co-conspirators have lost their jobs over this?

Have taken a pay-cut?

As our children have been shipped of to be slaughtered for Dubya’s lies, how many journalists have lost so much as a parking space? A corner office? A complimentary latte?

How many have had even a twinge of conscience?

A flicker of introspection?

A “My God, the Dirty Fucking Hippies were completely right all along!” moment?

How many have simply apologized?

How many have promised to do better and then have done so?

Since we cannot be there – since we are not allowed near enough to do it -- how many journalists allegedly acting as our proxies have had the nerve to verbally slap that perpetual, blood-smeared smirk off of Dubya’s face and call him out as the liar he is?

How many of them lead off coverage of new, suspect assertions by this Administration with the important caveat: “Having lied the nation into a war in Iraq, the Bush White House now ask the American public to believe…”?

How many have turned their hundreds of cameras and millions of lights on the Pig People – on their demented values, deranged beliefs and degenerate leaders -- and as they scurry away deeper into the shadows and sewers, how many had the guts to say “There! There! They are the problem!”?

Instead of serious, Clinton-Penis-Grade investigations of the felonies, treasons and incipient fascism of the Bush Crime family we get full-tilt coverage of Barack Obama’s melanin.

Instead of any inkling of reform, Bloody Bill Kristol scores a sinecure at the New York Times, Karl Rove starts collecting paychecks from Newsweek, and Fox News rolls on like the mighty Mississippi.

Instead, we get the same, cowardly corporate carnival barkers pushing the same lurid trivia, never daring to even whisper the word “impeachment”.

Ain't that the fucking truth. Fucking asshole journamalismists make me puke in my own mouth.

My own father--not a stupid man--actually said to me that "everyone says that Tim Russert is a well-respected journalist". I started to try to explain to him the limits of his notion of "everyone", but then said to myself, "Fuck it".

This is the power these craven bastards have against well-meaning, but uninformed citizens, whose only source of information about the world is teevee.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the people paying for the organization that released this report, were in fact the very same people responsible for the war in Iraq in the first place. WHY? Where's that final Coup-de-Grace if the mark doesn't know he's been conned? Doesn't know he's been taken?

TPTB are a bunch of sadists and without that final act of rubbing the populace's collective face in shit, there's no punchline, there's no money shot for 'Them' to enjoy.

I bet they won't even leave a $20.00 on the bureau for car-fare before they go out the door, either. Typical.

It can't be made any clearer--they are war criminals, the lot of them. Here's hoping that some court in another country will have the courage to do what ours will not--indict them and issue arrest warrants if they set foot anywhere in the civilized world. It worked on Pinochet, one can always hope.

There was one journalistic cheerleader who spoke truth to power in a public forum and was disappeared as a result: Ashleigh Banfield. Her speech was pretty inspiring, for someone in a role like hers (as opposed to us DFH's).

L.S./M.F.T said...Where's that final Coup-de-Grace if the mark doesn't know he's been conned? Doesn't know he's been taken?

Truly the relationship between the established media laprats and the Cruella D'Villes of Warshington is very much a confidence game. The Shell men are obvious, the audience as well, so why do the 'marks' keep coming back again and again? Fuggin A!

At least I don't have to write it now (and I've been holding off for a loooooooooonnnnnnnnggggg time).

To make them feel brave and patriotic, they want to be provided with the occasional, bellicose, ouchless, tax-free, HDTV-Dolby-Surround-Sound-roaring hate-fuck of some small, brown and relatively helpless nation.

Instead of any inkling of reform, Bloody Bill Kristol scores a sinecure at the New York Times, Karl Rove starts collecting paychecks from Newsweek, and Fox News rolls on like the mighty Mississippi.

Instead, we get the same, cowardly corporate carnival barkers pushing the same lurid trivia, never daring to even whisper the word “impeachment”.

And so, thanks in great part to this scum-bag 'president', the supreme "court" has ruled that lying is free speech. Yes, even in preznidenchal campaigns...oh yea FUCK A CENTRIST IN THE FUCKING CENTER! My asshole is in the center, not my brain!

And yes, the media just don't give a shit -- or rather, just like deeply complicit fools always do, they're just stalling for time, hoping it will all go away.

I know I keep harping on this, but all you need to know about our elite media was revealed when our mischievous Little Boots did his "No WMD here, nyuk, nyuk!" routine for the Washington Radio and TV Correspondents dinner. When the President of the U.S. deliberately makes a joke out of the prime causus belli for invading Iraq and it provokes only loud applause and laughter from an audience of journalists, the oozing corruption just doesn't get more in-your-face than that, this side of The Picture of Dorian Gray.